Femodene ED
"A highly effective combined contraceptive pill you take every day, to make it easier to remember. Contains two hormones (ethinylestradiol and gestodene) to help stop you getting pregnant, when taken correctly. You’ll need an annual blood pressure and BMI check to take this medication."
What is Femodene ED?
Femodene ED is a combined contraceptive pill you take every day. To help you remember to do this, it contains a 3-week supply of ‘active’ pills and a 1-week supply of larger ‘inactive’ pills that have no active ingredients.
How does it work?
The Femodene ED pill contains two hormones, ethinylestradiol and gestodene.
Together they help to:
- Stop your ovaries from releasing an egg (ovulation).
- Thicken the mucus in your cervix to make it harder for sperm to reach an egg.
- Thin the lining of the womb, so an egg is less likely to implant itself.
The inactive pills are placebo pills that contain no hormones. They just help you to continue the daily routine of taking a pill.
How to use Femodene ED
The Femodene ED pack contains a 3-week supply of active pills, as well as 1 week of larger Femodene ED inactive pills (containing no active ingredients). This means you’re taking a pill every day, which makes it easier to remember for some women.
Take 1 active pill every day at the same time for 21 days. Starting the next day, take 1 inactive pill every day for 7 days. You may have a period during this week.
Effectiveness
If taken correctly, Femodene ED contraceptive pill is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. In cases where it’s not taken exactly as prescribed, it can lead to pregnancy for around 9 out of 100 women. So it’s important to follow advice and instructions.
If you’re vomiting or have severe diarrhoea while taking this pill, you may not be protected against pregnancy. So use condoms along with continuing to take the pill as usual. If the vomiting continues for more than 24 hours, follow the same steps as you would for a missed pill.
Important: you should only start taking Femodene ED if you’re certain you aren’t pregnant.
Side effects of Femodene ED
It’s not common to get side effects from Femodene tablets, but for some women these can include headaches, period pain, sore breasts, feeling sick or stomach pain.
This pill carries a slightly higher risk of blood clots than others. In rare cases some women will develop them.
For full details of side effects and correct use, please see the Femodene ED patient information leaflet. And if you’re worried about side effects, including blood clots, you can contact us in your Patient Record.
Product features
Take 1 active pill daily at the same time for 21 days. Then take 1 inactive pill daily for 7 days
Take without a break
99% effective in preventing pregnancy
What is Femodene ED?
Femodene ED is a combined contraceptive pill you take every day. To help you remember to do this, it contains a 3-week supply of ‘active’ pills and a 1-week supply of larger ‘inactive’ pills that have no active ingredients.
How does it work?
The Femodene ED pill contains two hormones, ethinylestradiol and gestodene.
Together they help to:
- Stop your ovaries from releasing an egg (ovulation).
- Thicken the mucus in your cervix to make it harder for sperm to reach an egg.
- Thin the lining of the womb, so an egg is less likely to implant itself.
The inactive pills are placebo pills that contain no hormones. They just help you to continue the daily routine of taking a pill.
How to use Femodene ED
The Femodene ED pack contains a 3-week supply of active pills, as well as 1 week of larger Femodene ED inactive pills (containing no active ingredients). This means you’re taking a pill every day, which makes it easier to remember for some women.
Take 1 active pill every day at the same time for 21 days. Starting the next day, take 1 inactive pill every day for 7 days. You may have a period during this week.
Effectiveness
If taken correctly, Femodene ED contraceptive pill is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. In cases where it’s not taken exactly as prescribed, it can lead to pregnancy for around 9 out of 100 women. So it’s important to follow advice and instructions.
If you’re vomiting or have severe diarrhoea while taking this pill, you may not be protected against pregnancy. So use condoms along with continuing to take the pill as usual. If the vomiting continues for more than 24 hours, follow the same steps as you would for a missed pill.
Important: you should only start taking Femodene ED if you’re certain you aren’t pregnant.
Side effects of Femodene ED
It’s not common to get side effects from Femodene tablets, but for some women these can include headaches, period pain, sore breasts, feeling sick or stomach pain.
This pill carries a slightly higher risk of blood clots than others. In rare cases some women will develop them.
For full details of side effects and correct use, please see the Femodene ED patient information leaflet. And if you’re worried about side effects, including blood clots, you can contact us in your Patient Record.
Select a medication and complete our simple, confidential online consultation
A clinician will review your answers and, if suitable, prescribe treatment
Choose next-day delivery, or click & collect from your local pharmacy
Femodene ED FAQs
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How long does Femodene take to work?
If you start taking Femodene ED on days 1-5 of your period, this should give you immediate protection against pregnancy.
However, if you start Femodene ED at any other time in your cycle or you have a short or irregular menstrual cycle, you’ll need to use extra contraception like condoms for 7 days if you have sex. Your clinician can advise on this.
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Does Femodene ED stop periods?
Most women find that Femodene ED makes their periods more regular, lighter and less painful.
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Who can take Femodene ED?
You shouldn’t take Femodene ED if:
- You have, or have ever had, a blood clot in a blood vessel of your legs (deep vein thrombosis, DVT), your lungs (pulmonary embolus, PE) or other organs.
- You have a blood clotting disorder.
- You have, or have ever had, a heart attack or stroke.
- You have very high blood pressure.
There are other instances where the pill is not suitable, and our clinicians can advise on this during your online consultation.
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Can I take Femodene ED while breastfeeding?
If you’re breastfeeding, it’s likely you'll be advised not to take Femodene. Combined contraceptives can reduce milk supply and may also put you at greater risk of blood clots.
One of our clinicians can prescribe alternatives from our wide range of contraceptives.
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What if I miss my Femodene ED pill?
Missing a Femodene ED pill, on any one day, doesn’t compromise your protection against pregnancy. However, missing two or more pills or starting a new pack late could affect your contraceptive cover.
If you are less than 12 hours late with an active pill, take your next pill as soon as you remember. Then finish the rest of the pack as usual. This could mean taking two pills on certain days.
If you are more than 12 hours late with an active pill or you have missed more than one pill, take your next pill as soon as you remember. Then finish the rest of the pack as usual. This could mean taking two pills on certain days. Your contraception may be reduced, ensure you continue to take active pill daily for the next seven days. Use extra contraception such as condoms for the next seven days.
If you have had sex in the past week, you may need emergency contraception. Our clinicians can prescribe emergency contraception, if it’s safe to do so.
For full details of correct use and what to do if you miss a pill, please see the Femodene ED patient information leaflet. If you need more advice you can contact us in your Patient Record.
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Where can I buy Femodene ED?
As this pill is prescription only you’ll need to be approved by a clinician before you can buy the treatment, even if you’re using an online service.
One of our clinicians can prescribe Femodene ED for you after an online consultation. It’s completely confidential and only takes a few minutes. To make sure the medication is safe for you, we’ll ask you a few questions including details of your height, weight and blood pressure. If you can’t measure these at home, we can do it for you at your nearest Well Pharmacy.
Then you can pick up your prescribed medication from your nearest Well Pharmacy, or we’ll deliver it to your door in plain, unbranded packaging.
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What to do if I get Femodene ED side effects
You should message your clinician in your Patient Record if you get any side effects from taking Femodene ED, whether they are listed in the patient information leaflet or not.
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Femodene warnings
Combined contraceptives can raise your blood pressure, which could be dangerous. So, it’s important to check your blood pressure before starting the treatment, then once a year after that.
As part of your consultation, we’ll ask you if you’ve had your blood pressure checked recently, or checked it yourself at home using a blood pressure monitor. This information is required before we can prescribe combined contraceptives like Femodene.
Femodene ED won’t protect you against sexually transmitted infections like Chlamydia or HIV. Only condoms can help with this.
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Femodene ED drug interactions
You should be able to take Femodene ED alongside other medications. So that our clinicians can prescribe it safely, you’ll need to let us know which prescription, over-the-counter medicines and recreational drugs you’re taking regularly.
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Alternative Femodene ED contraception
A combined pill like Femodene ED is just one of a wide range of contraceptives we can advise you on and prescribe. These include NuvaRing, Evra Patch, the contraceptive injection, combined pills and progestogen only pills.
See our full contraception range here.
You can also get long-acting contraceptives through your GP or family planning clinic. These include the coil, implants, and contraceptive injections.
